


a thousand pinpoints of light

by Tiara_of_Sapphires



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Adoption, Drabble Collection, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-09-06 14:34:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16834534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiara_of_Sapphires/pseuds/Tiara_of_Sapphires
Summary: All of the Rydaal drabbles I've posted on tumblr!Prompts will be at the top of each chapter!





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sarah wants to cook something for Jaal. The best angaran cook she knows is actually Evfra, and hes not an easy teacher. Anything to make Jaal smile though, right?

Sara stared into the pot. A multicolored goop stared back at her. And she had no idea what to think.

Angaran food always smelled and tasted strange to Sara anyway, so it wasn’t like she knew whether or not it was good.

‘A fragrant soup’ Evfra had said, comprised of various herbs and vegetables native to Aya. Sara didn’t trust herself with handling the kind of meat that was popular in Angaran dishes. A pile peels and little leftover vegetable nubs cluttered the counter.

She internally cringed at the memory of Evfra snapping at her.

‘No, no, cut the root _edgewise_ , not in pieces. You humans are incapable of following directions.’

He was an asshole. Even after everything, everything they had gone through, he was still an asshole.

But the man knew how to make food, according to the whispers she caught on Aya from Resistance members. And while he looked way too smug when she came to him for help over making Jaal something to remind him of home while they were aboard the _Tempest_ , she had been grateful for his help.

Sara didn’t jump—okay, maybe a little—when the galley door slid open and, lo and behold, Jaal stepped in. Her stomach sank, scrabbling for words to excuse the likely disaster that lay on the stove.

Fuck, she had a whole plan of surprising him before her confidence fled and she had been thinking of whatever damage control she could do. Now, well, that was all out the window.

“Dearest, I have been looking for you,” he began, only to stop.

He looked at her, nostrils flaring ever so slightly.

“Are you making…Iwiccoli?”

Sara ducked her head, cheeks flaring hot in embarrassment.

At least he recognized what she was making. That was some marginal achievement.

“Ah, yeah,” Sara said, trying her best not to look too nervous. “Evfra taught me how to make it. I wanted to remind you of home while you were away.”

Jaal stepped further into the room, keeping his eyes on her and not the mess on the counter, to stop in front of her.

“You realize my home is with you, Sara.”

Fuck, he always loved to do stuff like that. And while it had taken her a while to get used to it, she loved how he was so open with her. Even when it was likely half in an attempt to humor her.

Sara smiled softly, bouncing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

“You might want to take that back after you try it,” Sara muttered.

Jaal reached behind her to stir the pot.

“I am sure, my love, it is not that bad. And even if it was, I certainly would not leave you over a pot of soup.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All feedback is appreciated! Really! I love it!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Humans and Angarans arent genetically compatible, but thats not gonna stop them from ending up with a lot of kids- of various species. Not that Jaal or Sera mind. Family is family, and family is precious

“ _Mama-a-a_!”

That was all the warning Sara got before a little turian scrambled on top of her, practically sitting on her stomach.

“Oof! Veleus, what is it?” Sara groaned.

“Papa won’t let me feed Fluffy!” came the reply.

She sighed. She had told Jaal to let the kids handle pet-related chores. Generally, he was good about remembering, but this time, apparently, he forgot.

“Did he already feed the hamster?”

His mandibles clicked and shifted in a frown.

“Yes, but I want to feed him! Sinia fed him yesterday and Barsan the day before that. _I_ want a turn.”

Sara sat up, moving Veleus to her lap. He was almost big enough that she couldn’t carry him without strain. When did that happen?

“How about tomorrow? I’ll make sure that you’re the one to feed Fluffy, okay?”

Veleus paused for a moment and then nodded.

“Okay. I wanna be like the big kids for once.”

Don’t grow up too fast. That was what Sara wanted to say, but she only smiled and kissed her son on the forehead.

“Love you, Mama,” Veleus said, pecking her cheek before hopping off the bed and running out of the room.

Sara smiled and eased herself out of bed.

Children of tragedy, orphans from fights against the kett. The Initiative had been desperate to adopt out as many of them as possible, as soon as possible.

Jaal and Sara couldn’t have their own children together: an unfortunate consequence of biology.

But they were more than happy to adopt a legion: human, angara, turian, krogan.

There were only the younger kids in the house, the rest of them off at school.

Veleus was one. And then there was the youngest: Asha.

Speaking of, where was she?

It didn’t take much looking.

“What are you doing?” Sara asked as soon as Asha came into sight.

The angara stopped her bouncing on the living room couch to turn towards her mother, looking vaguely embarrassed. Sara glanced behind her to see that Asha’s dolls were scattered on the ground, likely knocked off by the movement.

“Flying. Like Auntie Suvi.”

She bounced, once, twice, just as an example. Her blue skin was flushed ever so slightly from the exertion.

Sara sighed. “Please, Asha, you already hit your head once this week. Don’t do it again.”

Gods knew how scared she had been when she heard the thump and subsequent crying. Of course, medigel patched up the little cut and bruise very quickly, but still, Sara worried.

Asha patted her forehead, looking utterly unconcerned for her wellbeing.

“Don’t worry, Mom. Uncle Drack said I have a thick head.”

Sara bit back a smile, knowing that Drack didn’t mean that in a good way.

“Come on. Get down from there,” Sara said, holding out her arms.

Asha reached forward and wrapped her arms around Sara’s neck, clinging to her. She was at least young and small enough that Sara could carry her. Sure, she _could_ use her biotics to help, but she never liked using them around the kids.

Mostly because then they would insist that she do tricks with them.

Sara jumped to the sound of a crash from the kitchen area, followed by Veleus’s raucous laughter.

“Everything okay in there?” Sara called out, carrying Asha to the source of the noise.

She turned the corner to see Jaal hunched over a face-down casserole dish on the floor, Veleus sat at the counter with his hands covering his mouth in a poor attempt to squash his giggles.

Jaal gave Sara a long-suffering glance as he stood up with the dish and half of what probably used to be macaroni.

“I’ll eat it off the floor,” Veleus suggested, looking at the half that spread over the metallic floor.

“Me too!” Asha chimed in.

“No, you won’t,” Sara said firmly, sitting Asha down next to her brother. “Your Papa and I will make sandwiches after we clean this up.”

Jaal nodded, smiling jovially.

“Ah, yes, good idea, my darling wife.”

Jaal leaned over and kissed her, short and sweet, ignoring the two-child chorus of ‘ew’s’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All feedback is appreciated! Really! I love it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ok, so how about now Jaal tries to cook something for Sara and the Tempest crew try to help (with dubious/hilarious results?)

The cookies were burnt.

Not in a way that could make them recoverable or even remotely edible. These were blackened and hard like rocks. He could probably throw one at the wall and it would make a loud noise.

In Jaal’s defense, it wasn’t like he was used to making this kind of food. He was never one to bake, or anything like that.

He could make _meals_ just fine. In fact, his fellow Resistance fighters often complimented him on his skills. Then again, food was scarce and as long as something was edible, people would eat it and enjoy it. So, he could really have sub-par cooking skills and be none-the-wiser

This had been his first try at making Sara something from the Milky Way, something that had him nervous. He didn’t want to screw it up.

He had asked Vetra in private for a recipe and a way to get supplies. She was all too gracious in giving him a chocolate chip cookie recipe and what she could scrounge up for ingredients.

He, of course, paid her back with what meager stipend he received from the Initiative.

He got to work in the galley as soon as Sara left planetside on a couple Pathfinder-related errands, Liam and Cora in tow.

He didn’t know what he was doing. He never particularly liked Milky Way food to begin with.

But he followed the recipe to the best of his ability, made the galley a mess with various powdery ingredients.

Occasionally, Vetra would come in to check and correct him on his technique.

“Don’t overmix the batter,” she had said.

Jaal didn’t know what would be considered ‘overmixing’ but complied. Obviously, Vetra was more the expert on this than he, so he wasn’t one to argue.

Drack would come in as well from time to time, raiding the cabinets for food, sniffing at what Jaal was doing, making a comment on how ‘disgustingly in-love’ Jaal and Sara were, and leaving.

Into the tiny oven for the prescribed amount of time. He cleaned up, hands shaking with excitement and nervousness.

When the time ran out, there was the result of his work: charcoal.

He didn’t know what to do. He meant it as a surprise, all for Sara. Just to make her happy. He knew she was tired, but she was always tired.

This job, what they were doing, took its toll on her. It kept her up at night, painted dark shadows under her eyes.

He hated seeing her like that. And he wanted to make her smile and forget about this seemingly unending war they were fighting.

Her face would light up when she told him stories about the Milky Way, about the things she had seen and done. The little things that now seemed far away and now almost impossible in Andromeda.

Cookies, something her mother would make when it was cold, was a memory Sara revisited from time to time.

Stars above.

He looked at the pan and picked up one of the cookies, only to immediately drop it back down when it scalded his fingers.

Swearing under his breath, he ran his hand under cold water, still pondering how he would hide the evidence of his failure and perhaps improvise some kind of surprise for his darling one when she returned.

“I thought it would be prudent to inform you that the Pathfinder is ten minutes away from boarding the Tempest,” SAM chimed in from his omni-tool.

Jaal swore again.

“Hide the evidence or tell her the truth?” Jaal asked aloud.

“You could hide the evidence, but my sensors indicate smoke in the air, which she will smell. I do not see any real difference between either course of action. Either way, the Pathfinder will not be getting homemade cookies.”

Okay. Jaal made a decision.

The cookies ended up in the trash.

When Sara returned, Jaal dragged her into her quarters and found ways to make up for a disaster that she knew nothing about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All feedback is appreciated! Really! I love it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: For the kissask! I need more Jaal x Ryder in my life. 6. Tipsy kiss 18. Kisses because I missed you and you really shouldn’t stay away so long Please

**6\. Tipsy Kiss**

There was a flush on her cheeks and a goofy smile pulling at her mouth.

“Jaal!” she greeted.

Her arms looped around his neck and she bounced on her toes so they were closer to eye-level. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

Jaal could smell the liquor in her breath the moment before she kissed him. He could taste it on her tongue, strong and vaguely sweet.

They kissed, slow and languid. Jaal loved kissing her. He could kiss her forever and not get bored of it.

A giggle against his mouth, a wet sound as they pulled away.

She was still close, pressed up against his body, watching him.

“You’re so _pretty_ ,” she said, sounding in awe.

Jaal couldn’t help but preen a little at the compliment, as drunken as it was. Word bled into word, just on the side of coherent where the translators could actually pick it up.

“How did I get so lucky?” she whispered.

Clumsy hands found his face, fingers over the flat of his nose, the ridges of his cheeks.

“Dearest one, I believe you are drunk.”

Sara practically slumped on him, watching him. Her face was slack and adoring.

“You’re probably right. Don’t remember what Peebee was mixing, but it was _good_.”

Jaal wasn’t sure if he wanted to scold or thank the asari for aiding and abetting Sara, who he already knew was a bit of a lightweight.

She swayed and stumbled in his arms. Her eyes were hooded, like she was about to fall over.

Jaal scooped her up before she could even think to do that and she squealed.

“Hey!”

“I am getting you to bed, my love. Enough drink for the night, I think.”

Sara sighed, head lolling on his shoulder. “There’s no night in space, though.”

Jaal chuckled as he carried her to her quarters.

“Very well, but you need to sleep this off.”

“I’m not _that_ drunk.”

Of course, Sara wasn’t going to admit it.

Gentle, he rested her on the bed and laid down next to her. He spooned her from behind and rested an arm across her abdomen.

She hummed contentedly and wriggled close to him, mumbling something that the translator couldn’t pick up.

Jaal already knew she was going to have a terrible hangover when she woke up and made a mental note to have some painkillers and coffee on standby for her.

* * *

**18\. Kisses because I missed you and you really shouldn’t stay away so long**

Sara was so glad to be back on _Tempest_. Just the approach on the Nomad brought a feeling of exhausted relief that made her want to _cry_.

Everything that could possibly go wrong on Kadara did, extending what should have been a two day stop to a five day ordeal, nights spent crammed in the Nomad and rations for meals.

This turf war between Sloane and Reyes was becoming a real pain in her ass, making the efforts for an Initiative outpost difficult, if not impossible.

Of course, if she had just let Reyes execute Sloane, she would’ve had a lot less to deal with. But _no_ , she _had_ to have a conscience.

What Sara accomplished was really a band-aid over a bullet wound, but it would stop the bleeding if for a small amount of time.

Liam and Vetra were itching to get underway, almost as antsy as she was.

Back to softer beds and running water and air conditioning.

Yeah, Sara needed a shower, a warm meal, and a nap. Preferably in that order.

The back door lowered to the _Tempest_ and she eased the Nomad up the ramp. The engine shuddered to a stop.

She almost fell out of the Nomad. Her legs had forgotten how to work for a moment.

“Finally!” she groaned, yanking off her helmet .

“Dearest!”

She turned to get an armful of angara. It was jolting for a moment, like she had forgotten his body for a second. But she quickly relaxed into it, arms wrapping around his waist.

Jaal cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

She ignored the grossed-out noises from Vetra and Liam and Gil. She just let her eyes flutter shut and enjoy kissing her boyfriend after days of being deprived of his presence.

They had whispered to each other over the omni-tool whenever the mission quieted to a lull, sometimes to give updates, sometimes just to hear each other breathe. It wasn’t the same as being in the same room, sharing the same bed where she could rest her head on his chest.

It had been a substitute, but it got her through her hellish week.

“Hey, Jaal,” she whispered as soon as they broke away.

She probably smelled like sweat and sulfur but that didn’t stop Jaal from all but covering her in his embrace and tucking his face against her hair.

“I missed you,” Jaal murmured.

Her heart immediately melted at that, smiling into his shoulder.

“I missed you too. And I’m beginning to see why you hate Kadara so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All feedback is appreciated! Really! I love it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Would you consider to write a thing about growing sexual tension between Jaal and Sara before the waterfall? The moment of realization that he wants her, for example when an ordinary makeout session gone a little too hot or something like that?

There were stolen moments between them getting together officially on Havarl and now. As the _Tempest_ flew to Aya. Fleeting touches and kisses and whispers between missions.

He was content with that. It was satisfying to have the close companionship.

But it was clear there was something more. They were on the cusp of something, heavy and intimate.

He caught her outside of the galley. He was always taken by her. She was unlike anyone he had ever known. And they attracted each other like opposite poles on a magnet. He loved her. He really did. It was almost painful how much he cared about her.

And he wanted her in every way she would let him.

She smiled when she saw him, her entire face lighting up with it. He grinned.

“My dearest.”

“Jaal.”

There was no one else around. So, he let himself take a few liberties in the realm of decorum.

He closed the distance between them, enough so she could definitely feel his body heat radiating off of him.

He looped one arm around her back, the other cupping her cheek. She smiled up at him, bit her lower lip, looped her arms around his neck.

She was a mixture of soft and firm, every time he touched her was a treat and a discovery for him. He wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to learn her body and find out every single thing that would make her feel good.

Liam had given him vids of human pornography, so he wasn’t entirely naive. But he knew that each body had to be different and he wanted to learn Sara’s.

Sara hummed against his mouth and pulled him closer. He tightened his arms around her in answer until there was almost no space between them. He licked into her mouth, just to get a taste of her, and she gasped.

Her hands roamed, stroked behind his head, finding his smooth and sensitive skin underneath the folds.

A shiver, like lightning, crawled down his spine, turning his insides to liquid.

She couldn’t have known it was a sensitive spot, but her fingers tortured and danced over his skin, like she had picked up on his reaction.

A tease. She was going to drive him mad.

Heat, a need to take and possess, had him pressing her closer to the wall, wedging one leg between hers.

“I want you,” she whispered, lips only a breath away from his.

 _That_ was something Jaal was yearning to hear.

While he knew, he knew that Sara felt something similar to what he was feeling, it was wonderful to hear it aloud.

“In due time, dearest one.”

It wasn’t the answer either of them wanted. He was painfully hard and she kept grinding down on the leg between her thighs.

He had plans. Soon, they would be on Aya and he would get to show her.

“In due time,” he repeated, forcing himself to loosen his grip and pull away a little. “I want to make it special.”

Sara pouted and Jaal couldn’t help but try to kiss that expression away, kiss her breathless.

When they broke away, it was clear he succeeded, but she was still insistent.

“It’ll be special no matter where or when it is. Jaal, _come on_.”

He wrapped his arms around her, almost crushing her against him. Any crew members who would pass by would only see two people embracing.

Jaal leaned down until his lips brushed her ear. Sara shivered against him.

“When we are on Aya, I will take you. I will make you forget your own name.”

Sara moaned, just loud enough to hear, and rocked against him again. He growled in answer, both in arousal and frustration. He really wasn’t helping his case

He had to hold back and he pulled away as far as he could. He felt trapped in her orbit.

“Be patient, my dearest.”

Sara sighed and tilted her head back to rest against the wall. She was a sight to see, flushed cheeks, red lips, glazed-over eyes.

Jaal had to bite down the urge to forgo his plan on Aya and take her to her quarters, his quarters, anywhere private.

“Now I’m going to need a cold shower, thanks to you.”

He understood that meaning and he flushed with it, not doing anything to temper his arousal.

“Will you think of me?”

Sara smiled wryly. He definitely deserved the tease.

“I always do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All feedback is appreciated! Really! I love it!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sara taking the hit for Jaal in a battle situation? Like she's aware her armor is stronger than his and if he took the shot it probably would have killed him.

She was beginning to get _really_ tired of Sloane’s outcasts.

With their leader dead, most of the Outcasts had either joined the Collective or “retired” from lives of organized crime.

The ones that still clung to Sloane’s ideals were ruthless.

There was no way the remaining Outcasts had learned that Sara had let Reyes Vidal execute Sloane. Reyes had made sure that the only ones who could tell the tale were either on his payroll or on Sara’s squad. But Sara was a public figure, the Initiative’s golden girl and Pathfinder, unlike the, at least to most of Heleus, unknown Charlatan. She also never really hid her distaste for the Outcasts.

She was the visible enemy and in the badlands of Kadara enough that there were opportunities for people get in a couple shots at her.

This set of Outcasts were particularly clever, pinning Sara, Jaal, and Drack on both sides so they had to take cover behind some nearby rocks near the Nomad.

They had to hope that they could force the Outcasts back and that the Outcasts didn’t decide to blow up their ride.

Immediately, Sara found herself with her back to Jaal.

It was a natural thing. Sara watched Jaal’s 6 as he watched hers. Drack never stayed still, stalking where they took cover and even springing out of cover to take down any Outcast who decided to get too close.

The Outcasts didn’t know what hit them.

Slowly, the three of them brought their attackers down, assault rifles blazing.

Sara had drifted away from her position, leaving Jaal’s back exposed. She watched as the Outcast lift their rifle, a clean shot.

It was a simple choice. She stepped between the bullet and Jaal, raising her own gun to fire at the armored figure.

Days later, she would find out through SAM’s battle analysis that if she hadn’t stepped in the way, the shot—high-impact rifle shell—would’ve severed Jaal’s spine, likely paralyzing him, if not outright killing him.

She would’ve taken the shot for him regardless of if it was fatal or not.

The bullet impacted on her left ribcage, a couple inches below her breast.

Pain, not much of a surprise. It knocked the wind out of her, made her stumble.

She fell to one knee with a shout, immediately tipping over until she was sitting on the ground.

Jaal bellowed out her name, reached for her, and she waved him off, yelling something about keeping his head in the fight.

It was instinct. Make sure her squad made it out, then let them worry about her injuries.

She didn’t know if she even hit the Outcast who shot her, but there was no more gunfire from that area, so she could only hope that her aim was truer than her opponent’s.

She glanced down.

The N7 armor—which took most of the credits she had saved up from selling the shit she found and an unnecessarily large amount of wheedling to obtain—did its work. Its work, meaning Jaal wasn’t shot and she didn’t die instantly.

She pressed her hand to her ribs, where the bullet hit her, and starbursts of pain bloomed in her vision. Her armor was black, so she couldn’t tell if she was injured outside of the pain.

A chill covered the area and distantly she realized the medi-gel packets in her armor burst. Right. They did that.

“SAM?”

The AI said something but it was lost to Sara, drowned about by the sounds of battle around her and the rushing noise in her ears.

The shine on her palm when she looked at her hand almost didn’t make sense to her.

She was bleeding.

Huh. How about that?

The world tilted and moved, though she remained stationary.

Jaal and Drack were shouting at each other, but it was like she was underwater and they were standing on the shore. Everything was garbled and muted.

One last grenade explosion and everything was silent.

Silent, until Jaal knelt in front of her. His eyes were wide with panic and she tried to focus on his face.

“You shouldn’t have done that. My dearest, my star, you shouldn’t have done that,” Jaal said, gripping her upper arms.

She waved with a levity she didn’t feel. What was he talking about? Of course she was going to protect him.

She made her choice, which in her mind was the best and only choice. She was tired. The little voice in her head that could be SAM or something else told her that it was shock.

“’M fine. ‘M fine,” she muttered. She let herself be led to the Nomad, Jaal almost dragging her along.

Everything went dark just as Jaal was easing her into the Nomad.

Sara awoke, groggy, in the med-bay, clothed only in her bra and tight shorts, bandages wrapped around her midsection, a hand in hers.

She turned her head to see Jaal curled in a chair next to her, sleeping, holding her hand.

He jerked awake when she squeezed his hand and she immediately felt bad for waking him up. He looked tired and strained.

But there was a sudden invigoration in him, lighting up his face, when he turned to look at her. Jaal was on her instantly, peppering her face with kisses.

“My light, my hero. I was so worried. You did a foolish thing, taking that shot for me.”

Sara shook her head, hugged him as hard as she could with the saline drip still attached to her arm.

“I would take a bullet for you, any day. I love you, Jaal.”

He pulled away and skimmed his hand down her cheek.

“And I, you. I love you and I would take a bullet for you.”

She smiled shakily. She could only hope that he never had the chance to take a bullet for her. At least, she wanted him to be as protected as possible.

She tilted her head towards the ceiling. “SAM, remind me to vid-call Nexus R&D to see if Jaal’s armor could get some upgrades.”

For his own good, Jaal didn’t protest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All feedback is appreciated! Really! I love it!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jaal/Sara (Rydaal) Prompt: Sara taking naps (intentionally or not) on Jaal

The first time had been entirely an accident.

Liam wanted to drive. And since Sara had been the one to drive every other time they were in the Nomad and it was a relatively straight and flat shot between the forward station and the outpost, Sara relented.

So, she climbed into the back to sit next to Jaal, who smiled, all friendly.

Liam grumbled something about being a chauffeur, which Sara ignored. She was too busy swallowing the butterflies in her stomach that came up every time she was near Jaal.

A little crush, a little distraction, she kept telling herself ever since Jaal joined their crew. A break in the insanity that came with trying to be a savior.

It was exhausting.

She settled in, crossing her arms across her chest.

A false start and Liam cursing about the driver’s seat being on the wrong side, and they were off.

Her eyes shut during the lull.

She dreamt of nothing.

A jolt tore her out of sleep, making her scramble upright, trying to find her bearings.

“What? What did I miss?” she sputtered.

Jaal looked like he was blushing and Liam looked way too smug for Sara’s liking in the mirror.

“Ah, nothing, Sara. We’re just a couple minutes away from the _Tempest_.”

Sara was suspicious, but didn’t question it. She put it out of her mind, getting underway and the post-mission debrief taking up all her attention.

Later, back on the _Tempest_ , she heard Liam whispering to Vetra.

“You know when someone looks at someone else like they hung the bloody moon in the sky? That’s how Jaal looked at Ryder when she was sleeping on him.”

Sara’s face flamed in equal parts shock and embarrassment and she beat a hasty exit.

Okay, she had a crush on Jaal, something she had already accepted wasn’t going to be requited. But, apparently, there was some hope to be had.

That didn’t mean she was going to do anything about it.

The next time, it was around a fire. Same as in the Nomad, it was entirely on accident.

Drack was in the middle of a ghost story that really should’ve kept her up. Her eyes drifted shut anyway.

Her eyes drifted back open an indeterminate time later to the fire dimming. The left side of her body was cold, exposed to moon’s air. Her right side was warm, pressed against something shifting and alive.

It was then she realized that she had leaned over to press against Jaal, who was speaking quietly to Cora.

And it might’ve been her tired brain playing tricks on her, but she could swear he was leaning against her as well.

Sara pulled away from him with a soft apology, immediately regretting the loss of warmth.

He only patted her thigh, telling her there was no harm done.

She didn’t know how much Jaal had savored every second of it and how he had to fight the urge to hold her hand as she slept against him.

Finally, on Havarl, under a hologram of stars.

Her memories of the planet couldn’t just be of a clearing, of an army and a standoff that almost ended her life and the life of the man lying next to her.

The wound on Jaal’s cheek still stung and she knew it. She had her bruises from the fight and he knew it.

Sara snuggled close to him and closed her eyes. His arm moved to cradle her against him.

She would think of Havarl and think of this. The hushed drone of a family just behind the door and Jaal’s breathing close enough for her to appreciate.

Sara awoke to Jaal almost draped over one side of her body, snoring in her ear.

She was entirely content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All feedback is appreciated! Really! I love it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I was browsing through your media tag and saw the "where's the babies" video and was wondering if you'd be willing to write a Sara/Jaal prompt based on it (b/c Sid got the cat DNA). I just want Sara cooing about the babies (kittens) and Jaal perking up and being fascinated/charmed (can include other Angara and people too!)  
> Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rELs4jl604k  
> Static: https://lynngo-art.tumblr.com/post/161380293234/static

Sid was officially now Sara’s favorite person. Okay, second to Jaal, but still. Definitely one of her favorite people ever.

It had taken a while for the cat DNA to actually go anywhere, the need for food trumping the need for comfort animals. But once there was a break in need-to-be-done stuff, the lab technicians on the Nexus got to work.

It had taken months by the start for them to make and grow a bunch of cats and then start breeding them.

Once one of the founder generation was able to successfully bring a litter to term, that was when Sara got the email.

And Sara squealed when she received word about a mother with a litter of three-week-old kittens in the lab.

“Pathfinder privilege,” the email said, would allow her to see them before anyone else.

Now, she was a consummate professional and found the least flimsy excuse available to head to the Nexus.

The lab tech, Reynolds, gave her a wry smile when she strode in.

“You ready, Pathfinder?”

She nodded.

Reynolds gestured at the door.

“The mom’s called Bravo, but the kittens don’t have names yet. They’re in here.”

Sara followed his direction into a sterile-looking room and made sure the door closed securely behind her.

There was a wall of cages, the ground decorated with little toys and those carpet-textured jungle gym things.

Tucked against one wall was a cat-bed and a writhing and squeaking mass of fur.

Sara grinned as she stepped closer and sat down so she was just arms’ length away from the bed.

The cream-colored mother-cat was curled up, 5 kittens climbing over her and whining for her attention.

One kitten, covered with black and white fur, seemed to be the most courageous of the bunch and wandered out to meet her.

“Oh, look at you! You’re so cute!” Sara cooed, holding out her hand to let him sniff.

He sniffed at her fingertips, then headbutted them.

She scooped him up; he was small enough that she could hold him in one hand.

His sister—black and white as well—took the hint, tiny sharp nails biting into her pant leg as she climbed into her lap.

They were soft and small and reminded her of Earth. Earth wasn’t technically home anymore. It was now a small spaceship and her crew and her angara boyfriend.

But there was something about it that also felt like home.

Odds were she couldn’t adopt one and keep it on the _Tempest_. Besides, she already had her hamster, which was enough of a hassle on its own.

Also, she didn’t want the chance of coming back to her quarters with a furry, bloody mess all over her nice clean floors.

Bravo didn’t move much from where she was curled in the bed. She was probably grateful that Sara had shown up and given her relief from her children.

The other three waddled over to her, two of them cream colored and the other spotted with grey.

Distantly, she heard the door open and close, but she assumed it was one of the scientists until a familiar voice spoke up.

“What are they?”

She glanced behind her to see Jaal, watching her and the kittens with confusion and curiosity.

“They’re cats. Animals from Earth. Sit down and play with them!”

She patted the ground next to her with her free hand.

“I’m afraid I’ll crush them,” Jaal muttered, slowing sitting down, legs crisscrossed.

He eyed the kittens on her lap, hands twitching in his lap.

“They look very soft.”

Bravo finally stood up and stretched, back curving. She mewed before padding over Jaal.

“Look. The mom wants you to pet her,” Sara said.

“Oh,” Jaal murmured, reaching out towards the approaching cat.

His hand barely touched the mom’s fur. There was the faintest crackle and the cat’s fur stood on end until she looked more like a puffball.

Sara laughed as the mother-cat trilled in surprise, loud enough to startle one of the kittens dozing in her lap.

“What did I do?” Jaal asked, genuine worry in his voice.

She reached out and patted the raised fur, trying to press it down flat.

“Static electricity, from your bioelectrics. Gods, that is the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while.”

Bravo shook herself before hopping into Jaal’s lap, kneeding her paws into his legs.

“Sharp,” Jaal said, wincing.

“Revenge,” Sara quipped back.

She picked up each kitten and set them on Jaal’s legs, completing the picture.

“You know, I love you.”

“Are you talking to the cats or to me?” Jaal asked.

“Both, but mostly you.”

She crawled forward to press a kiss to his mouth.

“Can we keep them?” Jaal asked.

Sara giggled. “Maybe. We’ll have to relocate the hamster.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! All feedback is appreciated!  
> Inspiration:  
> Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rELs4jl604k  
> Static: https://lynngo-art.tumblr.com/post/161380293234/static


End file.
